Johnny Depp to be The Mad Hatter in Burton's ALICE IN WONDERLAND!!!

Hey folks Harry here with perfect casting - Now - if we could get Javier Bardem as the Queen of Hearts. That's probably just me. But it'd freak the world out and he'd be astonishing as the Queen of Hearts.

dAnielitro here...
Today I read this on MSN NEWS Latin America.... http://noticias.ar.msn.com/articulo.aspx?cp-documentid=8944484
I'll translate the first paragraph:
Actor Johnny Depp was chosen to play "Mad Hatter" in Tim Burton's version of "Alice in Wonderland". Burton was hired by Disney studios to make the 3D version if Lewis Carrol's classic. Depp is the second confirmed cast member. Australian Mia Wasikowska will play Alice.
Thanks for this awesome site!
--
----
dAnielitro

People who complain about Dep appearing in a lot of Burton movies probably also complain about Robert De Niro appearing in multiple Martin Scorsese films, or John Wayne starring in a lot of John Ford movies. Depp & Burton are like chocolate and peanut butter.

At least that's a better casting suggestion than Bardem as Joker. And Depp's handlers would never allow their client to replace a Ledger role twice, even if Depp wanted to do it. Everyone who is fantasy casting Batman roles seems to forget that Nolan does not go for the obvious choice (and thank god).

I remember when johnny depp played strange roles that were fairly unpredictable...now you hear this shit and go, "well fuck of course he is!" im really starting to hate Burton...I BET DANNY FUCKIGN ELFMAN WILL BE HERE TOO!!!

we all know exactly how this film will be even before we see anything about it. Alice In Wonderland - with a gothic twist! oooooh how daring. Might as well just get Marilyn Manson to be the march hare and have done with it.

O how effin original Burton, lemme guess ure gf for the queen of hearts?, keaton for cheshire cat? Leave Depp alone, ure pidgeon holing him with this goth crap. At this point he'll never get to make the rum diary or shantaram. I love tim birton, but how bout something a lil more challenging? it seems like the suits have had him playing t-ball the past 5 yrs. Can I know assume burton will never get to do something as great as ed wood or big fish again? dammit

...please don't let him cast Helena bonham carter as the queen, johnny depp is a great actor but simply isn't the mad hatter so I think it's safe to say this movie will be "Burtonized" which is fine for a movie like sleepy hollow (which i loved) but not for ALICE!! I loved those books man...

...Tarantino's Inglorious Bastards, apparently, have landed in Universal's lap... So says Nikki Finke. I guess the Weinsteins must be pissing blood after this news (although Grindhouse wasn't exactly a commercial success). The tribes they are a changin'...

Not considered one of his best, but i def dig it. All Im sayin is Burtons not making inspired movies no more, and he's taking depp down with him. We need depp to be making powerful, unforgetable films. Not expensive, halfassed remakes. Plus Im worried Rum Diary and/or Shantaram will now never get made

...one of the best, teeming books adapted on full Lucy in the Sky craze-mode by notoriously conservative Walt... Cannot be topped, IMHO, because we know Burton has a twisted mind; we didn't forsee Disney and co could steadily tap into a vat of dementia... So, the surprise and subversion won't be there... But Burton did start at the venerable studios, so if he wants to tackle this, I'm betting it will cost an arm and many people's legs but it could be a thing of true beauty. Depp assures plenty of cash and a great, big swath of talent. Risky but isn't that the key-word in show-biz. The Queen, however, should be played by Bob Hoskins, not Javier nor Helen Mirren. What I really want to know is the role-call for the oysters, mwhihihi-mwhahaha!

I'm still waiting for that movie, and I guarantee that Disney is not making that one, even though Burton would be the perfect director for it. Now that he's doing THIS one, McGee's Alice is officially muerto.

Burton really should expand his creative range a little more with this one, and he should start that with the casting. Casting an unknown for the lead was a good start. Instead of Depp, you know, I think geek-favorite Crispin Glover would be a good (and different) choice. As for the Queen of Hearts -- again, Burton needs to avoid casting Helena Bonham Carter... there are so many other actresses who could give a good go at it, from ones who are sort of obvious for it (Samantha Morton) to ones who would be unconventional but probably good at it (Gillian Anderson comes to mind). Frankly, I'm surprised Burton didn't cast Christina Ricci for the role of Alice -- but maybe he's saving her when he casts her as Dorothy in his take on the Wizard of Oz (which you know the studios will offer to Burton should his version of Alice do well).

Yeah, he probably does hate Depp. I saw him on Letterman a few years back and he said that he keeps trying to get Burton to make Beetlejuice 2, and he was serious. But lets face it, Micheal Keaton in a starring role is not going to do much business. I think he would be good in supporting roles. At the time, he was promoting his bomb, "White Noise". That was supposed to be his comeback but it turned out to be the nail in his coffin.

Shantaram is in the works and will definitely be made. As for Rum Diary, thats in limbo and may not be seeing that the role calls for a 20-something Hunter Thompson, even younger than he was in Fear and Loathing, and the longer they wait the more unlikely that will be.

...but fellow talkbacker, Ted Brautigan, reported that Depp and Gilliam are back together to make their Quixote picture. I googled it and its true. I'm pretty stoked about that. But Shantaram is definitely on the table and is going to happen.

least shocking casting decision goes to... "Johnny Depp in yet another Tim Burton Film". Is Helena Bohnam Carter in this one too? That would also be shocking. Do they all get a special trophy if they all make 10 films in a row together?

Oh, now I got you!<P>"I put out lit cigars on my penis." -- That's the line I remember. Classic stuff!<P>And hardly anyone seemed to realize that it was John Hurt dressed up as the March Hare. Totally random!

It was just announced that Russell Crowe will play the White Rabbit. Matt Damon will reteam with best pal Ben Affleck to play Tweedledee and Tweedledum. However, when offered the role of the Red Queen, Denzel Washington sicked his bodyguard on Burton's rep.

Okay, so is he even trying to do something new? I get that he's had nothing but success with Depp, but come on. Give someone else a shot at the spotlight. If you're truly a great filmmaker you'll do well with anyone in the actors seat.

Sorry to burst all this Depp/Burton partnership hate, but Alice in Wonderland is more of an ensemble film. The only star is Alice. There's still plenty of roles left to fill with all your favourite Hollywood players and playettes. Let the dream casting begin.

Herzog cast the psycho Kinski again. I swear one day they will try to kill eachother. The only thing that would make this tired partnership interesting if they did. That's the only way I'll watch Fitzcarraldo.

Nolan cast Bale as Batman again. Predictable, should've cast someone whose career is still intact! What? After all that dreadful McTerminator debacle, it's just sad! So 2008 of them... On another note, you still speak the truth, English, despite your reverse-Fishburne restyling.

This is unrelated, my apologies, but this is hilarious. This is a banned Mr. T commercial for Snickers. Banned because some people interpreted it as being homophobic: <p> http://tinyurl.com/6ywfso

July 29, 2008, 5:38 p.m. CST

by 40ozToFreedom

yeahhh the casting is about as repetitive as the comments in this talkback.
seriously, who gives a shit? Burton's good, Depp's good, and it was almost a given that Depp would have a role in this movie, so whats the big deal? sure, he's probably not the best choice but i'm amazed by how many of you this is really effecting horribly.

Ed Wood in 1994. His fans confuse the word 'visionary' with the words 'interesting production designer'. Truly, he's the most over-rated living director. Since PLANET OF THE APES and CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY I have decided never to pay to see a film of his again. Fuck off.

I hope its good. I just really wanted to comment about all this replacement joker bullshit. NOBODY can do the joker anymore, you hear me? The only person that's even remotely qualified to follow Heath is DANIEL DAY FUCKING LEWIS. The reasoning behind this is that he cried on Oprah for Heath and mentioned him in literally every single acceptance speech he gave for TWBB. Oh and henceforth the dash in Day-Lewis is officially replaced with FUCKING in all caps. Make a note of this.

Shit guys, the whole allure of a Burton Alice in Wonderland is that it be classic Burton. Jonathan Violence, this is so so not worth your overreacting. If this was, I don't know, Martin Scorcese making James Bond and casting Leo Dicaprio, I'd get it. But this is a good combination of director, actor, and material, and fercryinoutloud, it's not even the lead role!!!! I'd like to be respectful of differing opinions, but today I'm seeing stupid reactions.

Nope. No way. No thanks. No deal.<p> When was the last time Burton was involved in a good movie?<p>Sweeney Todd? I left the theatre after 40 minutes at the brain-numbing dullness of the songs and the staging. First movie I've walked out of since Attack Of The Clones<p>Charlie and The Chocolate Factory? Or: how to take a terrific book and extract a dull movie that's inferior in every respect to the creepy Gene Wilder version. And that includes Johnny Depp's "brilliant" interpretation of Wonka (in reality another of Depp's highly self-conscious "impersonations" where every tic and mannerism is telegraphed hours in advance.<p>Planet Of The Apes? It achieves a level of awfulness that few directors could achieve, even if they tried hard.<p>Sleepy Hollow? See comments on Charlie & Chocolate Factory....<p>The fact is you've got to go all the way back to 1994's Ed Wood (which I love btw: flame away!) to spot a good Burton movie. Because sadly, his mediocre films far outweigh his good ones. You can count his good movies on one hand:<p>Ed Wood, Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice, The Nightmare Before Christmas (which he produced only). And you can throw in his short, Vincent, which is a little gem.<p>So now we get another of Burton's 're-imaginings', which he'll sleepwalk through - and in which Depp will give us some more overacting and a bizarre impression of an English accent.

I just don't like how Tim Burton has to take on existing properties and Burtonify them. That's why his name always has to proceed the title, "Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland." His take on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory wouldn't have made any sense if you hadn't seen the original so you could get how he Burtonized the existing property. Same way with Planet of the Apes, and I'm sure with this movie. I wish he would just create something original.

totally agree with you man, at least with the first half of your post. But you left out Pee Wee's Big Adventure, Batman, Batman Returns and Big Fish in your good movies list. All four of those are still a lot of fun to watch. Hell, even Mars Attacks I've grown to kind of enjoy, in all of its horribleness. I think you're taking a lot away from Burton as a filmmaker, but at the same time, those first four movies you mentioned were just terrible. I absolutely hated Sweeney Todd, and especially hated the way it was marketed. All that being said, I've been looking forward to this variation of Alice for a long time, and I'm excited to see how it pans out.

Sorry they're 0 for 3 lately in my book. Sweeney Todd, The horrific Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the couldn't be more mediocre Corpse Bride. Mark me not excited about this one. Burton has made his share of great movies but he's been off the mark a lot lately.

Glad you partly agree with me- though what I'm saying is a no-brainer: Burton's been (literally) sleeping in the director's chair for some time. I must admit I haven't seen Fankenweenie, but those Batman movies of his... they make me shudder. Even at the time, I was bored by them. But his first Btman movie was on TV a couple of days ago and I decided to watch it to compare with Nolan's vision...<p>By God, it was awful. Terrible stodgy direction and acting. Batman spent most of the time just standing still - because clearly that's all his costume would allow him to do. Nicholson was just embarrassing. I had to stop watching after twenty minutes...

His talent is well and truly burnt out. And that's not his fault. He gave us a few great movies (about five by my count) and I don't blame him at all for sitting back now and taking the easy paychecks.<p>But for God's sake, DON'T MESS WITH THE CLASSICS!<p>Stick to some crappy studio actioners - Transformers or whatnot.

...raises the douchebag quotient around here: 'Johnny Depp in a Tim Burton movie AGAIN?!', 'Great, a Tim Burton movie just like all of his other ones.'.
<br><br>
The overall project sounds interesting, and has the potential for a huge ensemble (which I love; ED WOOD had a fine ensemble). Also, goddamnedest thing, some of Burton's finest films have featured Depp (ED WOOD, SWEENEY TODD, SLEEPY HOLLOW...).

Haha, well you have to remember that back in '89 the image of the Batman/Joker characters that most people had in their heads was of the 60's Adam West/Cesar Romero cornball version. Burton is really the first guy to take that first step in changing comic book movies to a darker, more serious tone, so you gotta at least give him that much. But you're right in the sense that I haven't been excited about a Burton movie since the early 90s. He's basically just been taking existing projects and flipping them into his own Burton-esque world for the last 10 or so years.
by the way, AICN should really implement a "reply" feature in their talkbacks so that everytime i want to respond to someone else's post i dont have to put their name in the subject line and hope they see it.

I give Burton nothing, no credit, zero props for coasting on all the rehab goodwill Frank miller did with Batman and then making two silly movies. His best movie was Ed Wood. I also enjoyed Pee-Wee, Beetlejuice, and even bits of Sleepy Hollow and Mystery Men. It seems big movies are just disastrous for him (Planet of The Apes, Willy Wonka, the Batmans, etc.). Burton has a big imagination but it's only best utilized and realized in controlled conditions and BIG is not his friend. He just can't do it. He ought to go back to making quirky little weird movies and everyone would love him.

Johnny Depp as Norman, Helena Bonham Carter as his wife, Freddie Highmore as the grandson...uh...oh yeah, and there is a layer of slightly gothic quirk over everything.
<p>
We might call it, "On Darkened Pond"

Burton's Alice in Wonderland will suck like every other film version of Alice in Wonderland. What's more, It will suck like his version of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Planet of the Apes, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. <p>
How can ANYONE be excited for this project. The only decent films Burton has made since Pee Wee and Beetlejuice have been Ed Wood and Sweeny Todd. <p>

Neither did Sleepy Hollow nor the batman movies, get your heads out of your asses, your not film experts, your bloody trend followers *Oh, I hate Shia LaBeouf. Oh me too! me too!* the kid never did anything wrong he's a young famous millionaire who got to make out with Megan Fox, and you hate him for it.

Honestly we should all be pissed off at how Bale gets so many roles now. What he loses 50 pounds puts on the same "wooden" accent that Keanu gets bashed for and then all of a sudden he gets called an "acting genius" then for his next role he buffs up, and people start praising him for his "commitment". And then he loses another 60 pounds for another role, rinse and repeat.
Johnny Depp's Tim Burton movies may stink (except for Sweeney Todd, he was quite good in there) but he is still a very talented actor. Watch him upstage Bale badly in "Public Enemies".
I used to be a Bale fanboy, but I realised how shit his acting was, and it was so apparent when he was opposite the likes of Gary Oldman and Heath Ledger to name a few.

The only thing that is slightly disconcerting about the obvious Burton - Depp teaming again is the fact that, once again, Depp is the perfect choice for the role. I noticed that some people are either a) not surprised by the obvious repeat association or b) a little annoyed with the obvious casting choice. I for one like the choice, but it's just a little disconcerting because this is a casting choice and a project that should have been done many years ago, much hoping before "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."

*Oh, I hate Shia LaBeouf. Oh me too! me too!* the kid never did anything wrong he's a young famous millionaire who got to make out with Megan Fox, and you hate him for it.<p>
Rich people who drive drunk should just be shot. You're fucking rich. Call a goddamn cab.

It was a Tim Burton movie.....with a heart. Barely, if any, dark themes in the film. And also Helena Bonham Carter was only in it for like 2 minutes AND Ewan McGregor starred, not Depp.
I think Depp is a great choice for the Mad Hatter, but I can see this movie being very generic "Burton style".
I was actually surprised with Sweeney Todd and Big Fish, I never thought I would like those movies that much.

And they are already trying to ruin Ledger's Joker by selling the T-shirts. Not to mention the fact that I saw a group of 10 emos (most of them with Joker face paint or shirts) in line in front of me on opening day.....I wanted to throw happiness at them to scare them away.

No really, what's there to dislike about this film? Too many English actors? Not enough Christopher Walken with fangs? Too many Hammer homages? Not enough cleavage? I can understand people defending Wilder's Wonka vs Depp's, theres people stuck back in 1989 in the Dark Knight threads too, but its just a different interpretation. But what fur does Burton's Sleepy Hollow rub, the Disney cartoon?

1)Everyone in this movie will be extremely pale, with dark circles under their eyes and long, stringy hair.
2)There will be lots of black rubber.
3)Critics will love this movie, and it will make about $100 million because the same lemmings who see EVERY Burton movie will roll in to see his same-same schtick.

Now the Joker being my favorite villian I do own a t-shirt with an image from The Killing Joke on it, I didn't wear it to the film however. I went to the cinema in my local shopping mall, and all the young motherfuckers who dressed for the occasion were wearing the same fucking t-shirt released last week I suppose. I swear, I saw someone carrying a Hot Topic bag go into the bathroom and come out wearing their spiffy new shirt, acting all condescending to us common folk who don't appreciate the genius of the role enough to go buy a trendy t-shirt. Hell I should have worn my Killing Joke shirt, I bet the motherfuckers wouldn't have known what the hell it was.

You know, maybe its because I'm black but I thought Planet Of The Apes reimagining was brilliant. It hit a lot of valid and points and didnt seem to shy away from race issues. Like the violent more aggressive apes being obviously black stereotypes, the house humans, the little girl in the cage with her little girl ape master. It had a lot of that in it that really made you think. The only problem I had with it was the lackluster battle at the end, but then I realized they were apes and thats how apes would fight. Quick and easy, but I think the metaphors and symbolism in it were pretty good.

Frankly I'm happy to annoy the anti-Burton brigade as much as possible, but is this really news? I only just saw his 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' and I'm STILL fuming at Depps godawful performance in what otherwise would have been a much better adaptation of the wonderful book than the Gene Wilder flick. If we could somehow transport Gene into the Burton movie maybe I could sleep at night. Am I the only person who thought Depp was gonna knock it out of the park and was crushingly disappointed?

this is about the most typical piece of news I've ever read. I always knew some exectuive idiot would think, "Hey, Noones done anything with Alice for a while, and idiot teenagers and low-standard filgoers would pay out the ass to see a Tim Burton Alice. Just don't expect any money to come in on a Midnight show, every loser who likes Tim Burton will be busy with there weekly Rocky Horror sodimization. Fucking Tim Burton, someone tell him being a VISUAL director doesn't make you a VISIONARY director.

After the craptacular Planet of the Apes, Charley and the Chocolate Factory, The Corpse Bride and Sweeney Todd, Burton sets his phasers to kill on Alice in Wonderland. It will likely turn out to be the same tired, worn out shtick we've been getting for years now. I used to love Burton's style up til about the horrendous POTA (though I enjoyed Big Fish)His overuse of Depp is getting tiresome (awful, awful Willy Wonka). I can only imagine the freak-fest Alice will be. I won't be in line for this trainwreck.

Piece of shit musical ever. Plus there never seemed to be a moment where there was no singing. I watched the film and at the end I was like "That's it? The FUCK was that?!" Good thing I downloaded it. I would have been pissed if I actually paid to see it in a theater. I then proceeded to delete it with extreme prejudice. The only good thing about the film was the production design.

Why are all you guys whining? wait and see the movie, you could just as easily get "Scissorhands" or "Ed Wood" as you could "Hollow".</p> What I am afraid of is that the Mad Hatter's role will be expanded to allow more Depp screen time. He's not in the book THAT much, so I hope Depp just does an extended cameo and we get to see all the characters as we are supposed to.
</p> Oh, and I want to see Imelda Staunton as the Queen of Hearts. MIND IT!

Cate Blanchet for the Queen of Hearts? has anyone here actually read the damn book!?! horrible casting people. The hatter was an elderly chap, a caricature of a English gentlemen, not JOHNNY FUCKING DEPP!!!! talented though he may be

who are 10 times more predictable, with the 100s of redundant obvious posts about the casting predictability.
<p>
Oh but of course the get-out-of-jail-free card there is that they saw the thread title and all rushed to post their nuggets of wit without reading the other forty million posts that said the same boring, uncreative, snotty thing. So I guess it really IS like you thought of it by yourselves! Bravo TBers!

for pretty much any role in this. That's my casting suggestion. She looks like she sprung fully formed from Lewis Carrol's books anyway. She could even do Tweedledum & Tweedledee (whether they're in the first book or not).
<p>
Julia Horsemouth Roberts for the cat. She's the only one around with enough damn teeth!

Duh!
Burton is predictable in every facet of his art. Sleepy Hollow the musical was awful (I don't give a shit who nominated it for what award), The Chocolate Factory tarnished the mystic that Wilder gave to Wonka (oh look lets give Wonka a back story! "He has DADDY issues" Brilliant...) and Burton hasn't done anything memorable since Ed Wood (Big Fish was just wasted potential).
I'm saying pass until I see a decent trailer.

While it's all but guaranteed that if Burton does a movie, Depp will be involved in some manner - why complain? So far, they have few (if any) failures when teaming up. <br>
<br>
Though, my first thought upon reading this: it's Willy Wonka round 2.

There have been so many film interpretations over the years, but I can't think of one that actually captured the right feeling and atmosphere of the book. I think if Burton avoids the obvious move of making the film darker, then we might see something more interesting. It's hard for me to get worked up about Depp and Burton working together. Sure, it's predictable, but a great actor working with a great director isn't really something I can complain about.

First off, the Mad Hatter is a backdrop character. Nothing more. And he's an old farty guy whose wealth has up and left him behind. Its TOTALLY not a character for Depp unless you aged him and put him in a fat suit. And then told him, "oh by the way - this movie isn't about you."<p>
Unfortunately, this casting choice means that Burton is re-writing the story to focus on the Mad Hatter, and not on Alice.

I wear my "My Pretty Pony" t-shirt with rainbows and unicorns and go into Hot Topic to pretend to browse. When someone says, "can I help you?" I always say, very loudly, "DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING IN LIGHT BLUE?!!!"<p>
yeah its lame idiocy, but I laugh myself home just the same.

I'm bored by this news. Burton has become so uninspired and paint-by-numbers. I love Depp but come on. This is probably just going to be a slightly toned down version of his Wonka. And the casting of Alice as a teenager is another fuck up. Uninspired.

I'm sick of his schtick ya know? I mean, all of his movies are the same. I thought his "style" was cool for awhile but now it has grown a beard.<p>And Depp needs a good part in a good movie. That pirate thing is REALLY stupid. I never understood why people ate it up like they did. My theory is that chicks like guys in makeup. Seriously. I think girls get hot when they see a good looking guy wearing mascara.<p>Burton should do a film that doesn't look like a Burton film to shake him out of that over used "style" of his.<p>Anyone agree?

I doubt it. Even though Nolan wanted the Joker in the third film I don't think he is going to go that route now that Ledger is gone.<p>I still wouldn't mind seeing someone else have a go at the Joker but perhaps down the road and with another "reboot" say, like 15 years from now.

All of the strange idiosyncrasies, like when he smacked his lips or held up his shoulders, seemed reminiscent of a Johnny Depp performance. I think this is especially prevalent in the scene where he confronts the mobsters during their meeting.

Christina Ricci is Dorothy, Helena Bonham Carter is the Wicked Witch, Johnny Depp is the Scarecrow, Jack Black is the Cowardly Lion, Ewan McGregor is the Tinman. i want my job as casting director now. fuck you, pay me. i said this when sweeney todd came out in the theater that Burton should tackle Wizard of Oz with this cast.